Will Pipes Freeze in Pitkin County, CO? 119 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Pitkin County
In a normal year Pitkin County, CO gets 119 nights at or below 20°F, the point where bare pipes in a garage, attic or outside wall start to freeze. That is more than 98% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs October to May, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 213 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 119 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 57 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 16 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 119 nights of risk to 57 nights. A 12 ft heat-tape kit runs $17 to $37; an average burst-pipe repair is about $500.
Month by month
Nights at or below 20°F in a normal year.
First 32°F night is usually around 09/23, last around 06/02. For 20°F: 10/21 to 04/22.
How cold Pitkin County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 10°F; the coldest month, January, averages 9°F overnight. 10 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, April, October, November, December: 57 nights a year, and 16 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9°F | 12°F | 20°F | 27°F | 35°F | 42°F | 48°F | 47°F | 40°F | 29°F | 19°F | 10°F |
Pitkin County next to its neighbours
Lake County, CO, 49 km east, gets 156 nights below 20°F to Pitkin County's 119 nights. Delta County, CO, 91 km southwest, gets 60 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitkin County, CO | - | 213 nights | 119 nights | 9°F |
| Lake County, CO | 49 km east | 259 nights | 156 nights | 4°F |
| Eagle County, CO | 49 km northeast | 247 nights | 141 nights | 6°F |
| Gunnison County, CO | 62 km south | 259 nights | 166 nights | -7°F |
| Chaffee County, CO | 76 km southeast | 256 nights | 156 nights | 0°F |
| Summit County, CO | 81 km northeast | 264 nights | 177 nights | 4°F |
| Delta County, CO | 91 km southwest | 151 nights | 60 nights | 18°F |
Pitkin County within CO
Pitkin County ranks 20 of 64 CO counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Summit County, CO at 177 nights, with a 5°F average winter low. The fewest is Mesa County, CO: 44 nights, winter lows near 21°F. At 8,157 ft, Pitkin County sits 1,277 ft above the state's median county elevation of 6,880 ft.
What to do here
- Treat it as a building fix, not a night-of routine: insulate, heat tape, seal crawlspace vents.
- An automatic leak shutoff pays for itself if one burst is avoided.
- Know where the main shutoff is before the first hard freeze.
Interior pipes have a threshold too: the four freeze points.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Aspen (1 mi SW), CO, 8 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. What a "fair" or "distant" station match means is in the method guide.